I will be autocrossing the S for the first time tomorrow. I will be participating in a "novice school" event, so there will be plenty of instruction--limited to 60 participants (pre-registered) and there will be 20 instructors--but I am looking for some S2000-specific advice (i.e., tire pressure). My suspension and tires are stock. FTIW, I have autocrossed about 4 times in my Civic, so I am not a complete newbie to autocrossing but far from being skilled.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Here are my tips:

1) Set the tires to 36 psi cold. (leave the pressures alone for the day and concentrate on what they are teaching you. Don't get hung up on setup stuff.)

2) Do what the instructors tell you. Even if it doesn't seem natural or fast, trust them, they've been at this longer than you!

3) If possible, take notes between runs.

4) Ride with an instructor and watch hand/foot coordination.

5) Above all else...smile and have fun!!

Take a look at this link:

http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm

 

^ Thanks for your suggestions!

 

Take lots of notes - at the end of the day - sit down and write down the important points. There will be lots of information thrown at you - so taking notes as needed will be really helpful as you go back and think about what you've learned.

 

I am really concerned about the rear end breaking lose and spinning out. Any tips on breaking / accelerating through corners?

 

[QUOTE=2QYK4U,Dec 17 2005, 11:14 PM] I am really concerned about the rear end breaking lose and spinning out.

 

Thanks for those tips!

 

I can vouch for how LONG it sometimes seems to stop, especially when the timing lights are getting closer. And closer. AND CLOSER!

 

You should now be at your event so this is after the fact.

I scared myself silly before my first autocross in the S, what with all the stories about folks losing the rear and crashing. Turns out that the car is fine - it's the loose nut behind the wheel.

This car is so nicely balanced from the factory that it's easier to lose the rear than your typical heavily-understeering street car. Respect the car and what it's telling you and you can outrun pretty much everyone. I have no problem with the S being in the same class as the C4 because the car makes up for the difference in horsepower and torque. It's pulled my bacon out of the fire several times (on the track, not the street!) because it's so responsive. You can still do something silly (lord, don't I know it!) and lose control but it's a hoot when you get it right.

If you came from FWD and haven't really competed in anything, you'll just have a steep learning curve. Now that you have some experience, keep going back. And when you think you're good, get one of the local hotshoes to drive the car - if you're not close, you have more to learn. Experience is everything...

 

One last tip to prevent from spinning out is to do all your braking in a straight line. If you brake while the car is turning, you push more weight forward, making the backend lighter. Once you get comfortable, you can start trail breaking into turns to rotate the car a bit more. And remember, if you spin your car, it is not the end of the world. Atleast you will start to learn where the limit is